OROVILLE — A judge has determined there is probable cause to hold a Butte Creek Canyon man for trial for allegedly killing three on his property and then burning their bodies.

Butte County Superior Court Judge Kristen Lucena made her ruling at the end of Friday”s preliminary examination for Donald George Clark, 73.

The hearing had been held to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to hold Clark on three counts of murder and a felony count of arson.

He is charged for the June 12 deaths of Sacramento residents Roland Lowe, 15, his mother Colleen Lowe, 46, and Richard Jones Jr., 17, outside his residence on the 14000 block of Centerville Road. For each homicide count, the defendant faces the special allegation he used a firearm causing great bodily injury.

If convicted for the deaths and the special circumstance of multiple homicide, Clark could be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Deputy district attorney Jacque Devlin said outside of court that the prosecution hasn”t made a decision on whether to pursue the death penalty.

Family members of the deceased were present for the hearing, including Jones” mother, Felishia Moore. When the arson and burned bodies were first reported, she called police out of concern that her son and the Lowes were involved.

After the hearing, Moore said it was very emotional, especially seeing photographs of Jones after the shooting. She said she believed Clark was guilty for the deaths.

“He did that and he needs to pay for what he did to them,” Moore said.

Losing her son has been hard for Moore and other family members. The loss is compounded by the fact that her son”s birthday is on Christmas.

During Friday”s hearing, Butte County sheriff”s detectives Patrick McNelis and Matt Calkins testified about interviewing Clark after the incident. After initially not being forthright, Clark told them about Jones and the Lowes contacting him on the property. The trio was apparently seeking to stay with Eric Thibodeaux, who lived farther back on the property that exceeds 100 acres.

Jones had stayed with Thibodeaux and another neighbor in the past, but there had apparently been a falling-out between Jones and Clark. Clark told investigators Jones had stolen from him and he was afraid of the group at some point.

There was a verbal altercation between Clark and the group. Clark went inside his residence for about 15 minutes, where he made a phone call to Thibodeaux and retrieved a loaded 12-gauge pump shotgun to scare the three.

The defendant returned outside and resumed the verbal argument. At one point, he said Jones reached for the shotgun. Clark pulled the weapon back and it allegedly discharged, striking Jones in the lower torso.

Roland Lowe then reportedly attempted to brandish a BB gun as a club, leading to Clark allegedly shooting him. Clark allegedly fired on Colleen Lowe when she reportedly drew a kitchen knife from a sheath.

Sheriff”s detective Matt Rackley testified that autopsy results showed Jones died from a gunshot to the lower torso. Roland Lowe reportedly died from a gunshot near the front of his left ear. Colleen Lowe wasn”t shot head-on; the shot entered the left side of her body.

After the shootings, Clark allegedly placed the bodies in the group”s green 2000 Acura TL, which was reported stolen June 11 from a residence near where Jones lived in Sacramento. Clark parked it on the Skyway near Powellton Road between DeSabla and Stirling City. He then allegedly used gasoline to set the vehicle ablaze, which was extinguished by firefighters after 12:15 a.m. June 13.

Clark allegedly took the group”s belongings and disbursed them in various trash bins throughout the area. He reportedly took the shotgun and buckets containing bloodied dirt and placed them in a storage unit near the Chico Municipal Airport.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Leo Battle asked detectives how it could take about 30 minutes for a deputy to respond to a call in the area. He also asked exactly when Clark was informed of his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

A detective said Clark was read his Miranda rights shortly after he admitted to the shooting during an out-of-custody interview at the Sheriff”s Office. The defendant reportedly waived his right and continued providing information to officers, including returning to his residence to walk officers through what happened.

Calkins said only a small part of the property was inhabited, but the residence was surrounded by large amounts of clutter. The property was owned by the Glenn Family Trust. A family member said Clark was initially a caretaker but they eventually wanted him gone because of the clutter.

According to the family member, Clark threatened to call county code enforcement about the clutter and a lien would be put on the property.

At the end of Friday”s hearing, Judge Lucena set a Jan. 8 hearing when a trial date may be set.